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Jun 27, 2011

This week's photo is Genki Spark that was taken on a drizzling morning at the Minot Rose garden in Brookline near Boston and is one of my latest rose flower photography gallery addition. The misty morning and raindrops drained rose blossoms and leaves made me go around the rose garden twice until I finally arrived in the zone and started composing and photographing. Genki is Japanese and stands for happy and spark is spark. Starting today each photography print and canvas of this tulip photograph is 20% off and on sale at Fine Art America throughout the week of 11 July 2011.

Jun 22, 2011

Zantedeschia, a floral abstract of a Calla Lily, has placed as a finalist in May's BetterPhoto Contest! Over 15800 photos were entered into the competition and it is always exiting to have one of my image selected among the top finalist photos.

Jun 19, 2011

Depth of field or DoF relates to the parts of a photograph that are in full focus and show acceptable details. We, as photographers, have control over the amount of depth of field in a photograph and depending on our photographic or artistic goals we may vary one or all of the four factors that determine a shallow or extensive depth of field:

1. Focal LengthA wide angle lens such as 24 or 28 mm provides greater depth of field than a long telephoto lens with a focal length of 200 to 600 mm. The wide angle lens produces vast depth of field while the longer lenses produce a shallow depth of field.

2. Subject Distance or MagnificationThe depth of field in a photograph deteriorates the closer we get to our photographic subject regardless of the chosen lens focal length. For example, in an extreme close up photograph the depth of field may only reach across a few millimeters while when photographing grand landscapes or city skylines from a distance the depth of field reaches across the entire frame.

3. Choice of Focus PointDepth of field falls roughly one third in front and two third behind the focus point. For example if we lay the focus point at 3.5 meters away from the camera and we obtain a theoretical depth of field of 3 meters at an aperture of 8, then the selective sharpness in our image would reach from 2.5 meters to 5.5 meters.

4. Aperture or f-stopA small aperture or f-stop setting (large f/numbers such as 11 and greater) will maximize depth of field and is mostly desired when photographing grand landscapes or city skylines. In such photos we strive for sharpness and detail from the nearest picture element in the foreground all the way to the horizon. A large aperture (small f/numbers such as 5.6 and less) will minimize depth of field and is mostly desired when capturing bird or flower with our photography. In these type of photos we strive for a quiet backdrop that beautifully isolates the main subject from any distractions in the background and solely lays the focus on the main subject.

Most cameras now a days have a depth of field preview mechanism where we can determine its acceptability with the chosen camera settings and set-ups. If depth of field is insufficient and does not span the entire frame one can either close the aperture further (larger f-stop number) or decrease magnification of the foreground by backing up or switching to a wider lens. On the other hand, if depth of field is to broad we may open the aperture further (smaller f-stop number), choose a longer lens or get in closer to enhance magnification.

In my next installment of this photography 101 series I will discuss exposure.

Jun 18, 2011

Learn from my photography magazine article "Discovering Form in Photography" on how to successfully use lines, shapes, volume, and light to our advantage and how we can convey a sense of volume to make a two-dimensional image appear to the viewer as three-dimensional . Study how we can create beautiful nature macro photographs with our cameras as I guide you through my photography thought and work process ~ published by Apogee Photo Magazine.

Jun 12, 2011

This week's photo is Jamaica Pond that was taken on a beautiful misty early morning at Jamaica Pond in Jamaica Plain of Boston. The fog and mood this morning made me stop on my drive over to the Boston Arnold Arboretum and capture this moment in time I had been waiting for many years to come. Starting today each photography print and canvas of this tulip photograph is 20% off and on sale at Fine Art America throughout the week of 13 June 2011.

Despite rainy and lousy weather I made my way over to the Brookline Minot Rose garden yesterday. The surrounding park was recently renovated and there is a re-opening celebration and rose stroll planned for today. Looking outside my window right now it appears that the celebration will be postponed to the rain date of 26 June 2011. The celebration is organized by the The Friends of the Minot Rose garden who do such fantastic work maintaining the garden; they cannot be thanked enough!

When I decided to make my way over to the Minot Rose garden I thought I would have the garden all to myself because of the rain; quickly I was proven wrong. Turns out that not only a macro photographer like me likes the garden on a rainy morning. Happy Sunday!

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About Me

Juergen
Roth was born and raised near Cologne, Germany. In 1988, he moved to Berlin
West and following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 he enjoyed exploring the
reunited city and the lost natural environment surrounding it. Since 2001 he has been living in Brookline, Massachusetts
with his wife Helen and daughter Nina.

Juergen has been participated in
many local art events and shows where his photography images achieved numerous
honors. Most recently in 2015, Juergen's iconic Boston skyline photography image Welcome to the Great City of Boston was recognized with the Kusmin Gallery Award for Best in New England at the Fine Art of Photography exhibition at the Plymouth Center for the Arts. In 2014 Serene Cape Cod
was awarded Highly Commended by a panel of world famous judges in the 2014
U.S.A. Landscape Photographer of the Year photography contest. His award
winning photography artwork has been published in books, calendars and
magazines throughout the world.

Juergen finds inspiration in Boston
when not chasing the light at nearby Wildlife Sanctuaries and the beautiful
landscapes and seascapes of New England. He
has always regarded nature as the ultimate inspiration.

"The question is not what you
look at, but what you see." - HENRY D. THOREAU